Fastening device



Jan. 5, 1937.

F. W. WILLIAMS FASTENING DEVICE- Filed Feb.l ze, 193e all;

(gn/newton L Srta: MA);

Patented Jan. 5, 1937 2,066,813 n FASTENING DEVICE Frederick W.Williams,` Honolulu, yTerritory of Hawaii Application February 26, 1936,Serial No. 65,929

8 Claims. (Cl. 'l2- 118) My invention relates to fastening devices andmore particularly to fastening devices of the type for securing andattaching fibrous or cork wall boards, tiles and the like.

The invention has for one of its objects to provide a fastening devicefor rmly connecting wall boards and the like to eachother and to woodfurring, joists and studs without exposed nailing. Another object of theinvention is to provide a fastener capable of penetrating a side edge ofa wall board at an angle of approximately Features of the inventionresiding in advantageous fo-rms, combinations and relations of partswill hereinafter appear, and be pointed Aout in the claims.

In 'the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view ofthe fastening device. y

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device.

Figure 3 is a side view of the device.

Figure 41s a plan view of a blank of sheet metal from which thefastening device is formed.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a wooden furring strip and adjacent"portions of neighboring wall boards illustrating the manner in whichthe fastening device is associated therewith.

Figure 6 isa front view of adjacent portions of neighboring wall boardsin position to be connectcd by the fastening device, the fasteningdevice being shownas having been connected to oneof the boards.

Figure 'l is a front view of a plurality of boards, each provided with anumber of fastening de.- vices, one of the boards being shown in the.position it occupies just'prior to being connected by the fasteningdevices to the otherl boards.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the fastening deviceindicated generally by the reference numeral I is preferably formed froma single blank of sheet metal of the'form illustrated in Figure 4. Thefastening device includes a web 2 Awhich is adapted to be interposedbetween the adjoining edges of neighboring wall boards 3 and baseportions 4 which project on opposite sides of the web to overlappinglyengage the inner faces of adjacent portions of neighboring boards. Thefastening device also includes prongs 5 which are adapted to penetratethe adjoining edges of neighboring boards, each prong being arranged soas to overlie the base portion projecting from the same side of the webas the prong. It will thus be perceived that the fastening devicegenerally comprises two oppolsitely 'disposed substantially identicalchannelshaped portions, each of which includes a base, a web and aprong.

The base portions 4 preferably project from the lweb a greater distancethan the prongs and the .portionsof neighboring boards gripped orengaged by the fastening device are each of 4such area that a` rigidconnection is obtained between the boards without the necessity ofnailing the fastening -device to the boards or to joists or furring.However, in order that the fastener may, if desired, be secured to anadjacent joist or furring strip, each base portion thereof mayadvantageously be provided with a nail receiving opening 6.

The prongs 5 project obliquely from the web and preferably formtherewith substantially equal angles which face in the same direction.Moreover, the prongswhich are o f substantially ltriangular shape havetheir side edges inclined in the V same general direction with respectto the web and they preferably define an angle Whose bisector isdisposed at an angle of approximately 45 to the web. By forming theprongs in this manner, they may penetrate the side edges of lthe boardat an angle of 45 withta minimum tearing or cutting of the boards.

The manner of forming the fastening device from the blank illustrated inFigure 4 will, itis thought, be evident. The two'base portionsdesignated da in Figure 4 may first be bent in opposite directions aboutthe axis X and then the prongs designated 5a. in Figure 4 may besimilarly bent about an axis Y.

In using the fastenugdevice, it is first ar- Vranged with relation tothe board with which it is to be associated, `so that one of the baseportions is disposed in lapping engagement with the inner face of theboard and the pointed end of the prong adjacent that 'base portion abutsthe edge of the board *to be penetrated. Pressure is then applied to thefastening device causing the prong to penetrate the edge of the board atan angle of approximately 45 thereto. The other base portion of thefastening device may then be nailed, as illustrated in Figure 6, to ajoist or furl ring. should eitherbe available, but this is unnecessaryto insure a rigid joint between the boards. The next board or tile isthen pressed upon theexposed prong 'of the device atan angle ofapproximately 45, the board, of course, being so disposed that its innerface will be in engagement with the adjacent base portion.

`Upon referring to Figure -7`of'the drawing wherein one of the boards isshown in position to be connected to other boards, it will be perceivedthat it is only necessary to move the unconnected board at an angle of45 to effect its connection to the other boards. Thus, since it isunnecessary, as is required by previously devised fasteners, to firstmove the board in one direction to cause the fasteners to penetrate oneedge and then in another direction to cause other fasteners to penetratean adjacent edge, it is evident that the fastener of the presentinvention enables wall boards and tiles of relatively hard or densematerial, as well as those of comparatively large size requiring two ormore fasteners on a side, to be effectively and easily secured together.

What I claim is:

1. A fasten-ing device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs projecting from opposite sides ofsaid web adapted to. respectively penetrate adjacent edges ofneighboring boards,`at least one of said prongs extending obliquely fromthe web and having angularly disposed side edges each inclined in the,lsame general direction with respect to the web.

2. A fastening device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs projecting from opposite sides ofsaid web adapted to respectively penetrate adjacent edges of neighboringboards, at least one of said prongs having angu` iarly disposed sideedges located on the same side of the normal to the plane of the webpassing through the vertex of the angle formed between said edges. v

3. A fastening device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs projecting from opposite sides ofsaid web adapted to respectively penetrate adjacent edges of neighboringboards. at leastA one of said prongs extending obliquely with respecttothe web and having its outer end offset fnom its inner end in thedirection of length of the web.

4. A fastening device for wail boards, tiles and the like havingvpenetrable edges, said device including a base. a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs projecting from opposite sides ofsaid web adapted .to respectively penetrate adjacent edges ofneighboring boards, at least one of said prongs extending at an angle of`approximately 45 to the web.

5. A fastening device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs projecting from opposite sides ofsaid web adapted to respectively penetrate adjacent edges of neighboringboards, at least one of said pron s being of substantially triangularshape and h ving side edges defining an angle whose bisector is disposedat an angle of approximately 45 to the web.

6. A fastening device for wail boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and divergent prongs projecting obliquely fromopposite sides of said web, said prongs being adapted to respectivelypenetrate adjacent side edges of neighboring boards.

7. A fastening device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device including a base, a web portion disposedat an angle to the base, and prongs extending obliquely from oppositevsides of the weband forming therewith substantially equal angles facingin the same direction, said prongs being adapted to respectivelypenetrate adjacent edges of neighboring boards.

8. A fastening device for wall boards, tiles and the like havingpenetrable edges, said device comprising two oppositely disposedsubstantially channel-shaped portions. each of said portions including abase, a web, and an obliquely extending prong adapted to penetrate aside edge of a wall board, the webs o'f said channel-shaped portionsbeing disposed in the same planevand constituting continuations of eachother.

